SAUDI Arabia said it enjoys “full rights” along with Kuwait to a disputed gas field in the resource-rich Gulf State and rejected claims by Iran.
Kuwait rejected Iran’s claims to the Al-Durra Gas Field, known to Iranians as Arash, and urged Tehran to discuss the demarcation of its maritime borders.
According to Kuwait’s Oil Minister Saad Al-Barrak, Iran must first enter into the demarcation of international borders, and whoever has a right will get it according to the rules of international law.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s national news agency reported that the field falls under joint ownership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the state of Kuwait, and they alone have full rights.
The state media made the report one day after Kuwait reinvited Iran to participate in talks on their sea borders.
Last year, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to develop the disputed gas field despite Iran opposing the idea and branding the deal as “illegal.”
For years, Iran and Kuwait have held unsuccessful talks over their disputed maritime border area whose recoverable reserves are estimated at some 220 billion cubic meters or 7 trillion cubic feet.
The dispute over the field dates back to the 1960s when Iran and Kuwait were awarded overlapping offshore concessions.
